The flying Finn lead from the start of the race, the first of the new season, and kept his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton in second place.

“The start was really good. It was definitively my best race ever. I don’t know what happened – everything felt so good, I had everything under control and it was so good today. Truly enjoyable, and I’m going to enjoy today” Bottas told Formula1.com after the race.

The Australian Grand Prix was a triumphant comeback for Bottas, who had a rough 2018 season. And as he roared over the finish line more than 20 seconds ahead of second place Hamilton, he said “how about that?”. “To whom it may concern ****** you”. The expletive was blanked out by his team on their social media post.

This was the fourth F1 win of Bottas’ career, and he even picked up a bonus point in today’s race for having the fastest lap.

After the race, the 29-year old dedicated his win to F1 director Charlie Whiting, one of the most influential figures in the sport, who died on the eve of the Melbourne race.